Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Break Time

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."- Ferris Bueller

Thanks to my thoughtful employer, May long weekend was extra long this year - four days, instead of just three. During the winter, I fantasized about how much riding I would do during May long weekend - something bigger than the pansy Golden Triangle. But, as the weekend approached, all I wanted was a weekend at home to relax. I indulge in as many experiences as my schedule will permit in an effort to not miss out on life, but it takes it's toll as I cram my infinite wishlist of leisure activities into my scarce leisure time. Lately, I've even had trouble finding the time for simple things such as updating my blog (there's an inverse relationship between activity in my life and activity on my blog). So, this weekend was all about taking a breather and regaining perspective.

On Friday, I think Erik and I spent more time together than we had in all of the time since our trip to Chile at Christmas. We did "boring old couple stuff" like go to Home Depot and IKEA and then eat dinner at a cookie cutter restaurant chain. It was awesome. The level of enthusiasm that Erik brings to the things he does can only be described as atomic. He makes even the mundane seem exciting - like the one dollar breakfast we had at IKEA, which he must have mentioned about a dozen times through the remainder of the day. He eminates enthusiasm. It's exciting just to be around him.

Saturday, we went to the mountains to do some mountain biking (separately, of course). I rode the trail at Lake Minawanka for the first time. Gorgeous. The first half was spectacular and I could feel myself progressively getting more comfortable with the technical challenges. Then it started to rain. Heavily. I discovered that tree roots get REALLY slippery when they are wet. My confidence on the technical stuff disappeared. I guess it was good practice, as I never willingly go mountain biking in the rain.

Saturday night was the Feist concert at the Jubilee. The opener was Chad van Gaalen, a friend from high school. I first saw him perform last year at the Sasquatch Festival. He played a great show on both occassions. He's come a long way - from entertaining a handful of juveniles in my dad's biology class by eating a piece of cow liver over a decade ago to wowing a crowd of 2500 with his musical talents and quick wit on Saturday night. Feist was excellent as well. Both seem to be cut from the same cloth. Beyond a respect for their musical talents, I admire both for their unique character and sense of self. The rest of the weekend was sort of a write off. I mean that in a good way. The snow made me disinclined to ride much, so I caught up on stuff around the house. I cut the hedges, made some serious progress on my vegetable garden, and chilled out. I like that my life moves at a quick pace, but it was sure great to take a break this weekend.